


To Sleep (Perchance To Dream)

by PolypusRegina



Series: A Gentle Touch [3]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Kylo has nightmares, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mild Somnophilia, Porn with Feelings, Post-Canon, Very not-mild everything else, but Hux is there to help
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-02
Updated: 2016-02-02
Packaged: 2018-05-17 22:01:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5886973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PolypusRegina/pseuds/PolypusRegina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Most nights followed a similar routine; Kylo would invite himself in when Hux wasn't too preoccupied, and they'd find a good distraction in each other's company. Physically, almost always.</p><p>But this night didn’t quite follow that routine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Sleep (Perchance To Dream)

**Author's Note:**

> Surprise! This is the 3rd part of my [gentle!Kylux](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5734999) [series](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5794561) (or the parenthe-series, as I've taken to calling them ohoho), which...hopefully you've already read? Eh? 
> 
> **But if you haven't, don't worry!** Each fic is pretty much a standalone piece. There's not much plot. So feel free to check out the first two, or don't! I'm just happy you're here. c:

It had been late when Kylo first darkened his doorstep that night. Late, but not entirely unexpected.

These days, Hux didn't always know exactly when Kylo might show up in his quarters, letting himself in without so much as a word of warning. He only knew that it had become inevitable, like an inconstant constant. It was almost a little unsettling in a way, knowing that his sense of privacy wasn't always so concrete.

But over time, it felt like less and less of a concern and almost like more of a comfort, knowing that he wasn't so completely alone. 

Most nights followed a similar routine; Kylo would invite himself in when Hux wasn't too preoccupied, and they'd find a good distraction in each other's company. Physically, almost always. There was usually a fair bit of banter shared between them, depending on how they were feeling. Sometimes it helped keep the mood light, teasing each other instead of focusing too much on Kylo's new bruises or how exhausted Hux looked. 

But this night didn't quite follow that path. Hux had finally decided to turn in for the night, and was about two seconds away from climbing into bed when he first heard the door to his quarters unlock. It was a bit later than usual for Kylo, but Hux felt more concern than annoyance for once in his life. 

He froze where he was and glanced up to watch Kylo enter, making out the dark shape of him in the dim light. It looked as though he might have been limping, but the closer he came, the more Hux decided it was probably just the usual way he moved after a particularly grueling training session. Slow. Heavy. As if he might have just collapsed on the spot if he were a weaker man. Although...if Kylo Ren were a weaker man, he'd probably just be dead by now. And Hux didn't want to think about that. 

Hux didn't say anything though, even as Kylo approached. He just watched him carefully, waiting for some sort of...indication, perhaps, as to the reason for his visit. It was late and Hux was tired and Kylo looked like he might pass out, so he doubted the Knight was looking for sex. Or if he was, he was going to be very disappointed. Hux was almost always plenty willing, once they'd gotten their routine settled (it wasn't quite a  _relationship_ but it was something close--mutual pleasure; Mutual comfort; A small respite from the current unpleasantness of their lives) but he was still his usual self. He had no problem saying  _no_ if he didn't want to do something. 

But Kylo didn't look like he had any plans to ask. He had his helmet tucked up under his arm, his face stark and pale against the darkness. He wasn't even looking up at Hux. He probably hadn't looked at him once since letting himself inside. And the silence spoke volumes to the General, who finally snapped out of his own stillness to approach him. 

Kylo let Hux take his helmet from his hands, barely even watching it go as he moved to set it on his bedside table with a soft  _thud_. When Hux returned to him, he set straight to work helping him undress, but there wasn't the usual urgency there in his actions. There was no eager passion, no desperation. It wasn't like any other time they'd undressed each other. They didn't even share so much as a single kiss. No, it was careful and slow, tugging at Kylo's robes and belt and cloak, letting it fall piece by piece into a heap on the floor until he was left in only his underclothes, much the same as Hux. 

And throughout the entire endeavor, not a single word was spoken between them. Which wasn't all that unusual, though. Not for them. They'd all but mastered the art of silent communication, falling onto the same page without even really trying. It seemed to work perfectly well for them now, as Kylo let Hux gently push and pull and prod him into place, until he was all but collapsing into bed. Of course, Hux didn't have the mind-reading capabilities that Kylo did, so he had no real way of knowing for sure what was going on in his head. But he was pretty damn sure that the only thing left for them to do tonight was to sleep like the dead, and worry about the rest in the morning. Hux needed his rest of course, but he could only imagine it was ten times worse for Kylo, who'd probably been up since dawn. And so here he was, ushering the man into bed like a concerned parent, even pulling the sheets up around him a little as if he didn't even have the strength to do that himself. 

Kylo finally uttered a noise that sounded like a weak protest, as if he might muster up the energy to insist he could tuck himself in. But the attempt went nowhere, and instead he just buried his face in the pillow beneath him and huffed out a soft sigh that sounded an awful lot like resignation. Hux rolled his eyes a little, but couldn't do much to stop the almost-fond grin from twitching his lips as he pulled back and moved around to the other side of the bed to climb in as well. He slipped in under the covers beside Kylo, and at first, made no attempt to touch him. There was still that cautious part of him, unsure if it was allowed, or wanted. Maybe Ren needed his space to decompress after whatever hell he'd been through that day. But as Hux lay there, he quickly decided it probably wasn't the case. If Kylo needed space, he wouldn't have dragged himself all the way over to Hux's private quarters just to keep the General at arm's length. Or...well, it  _was_ Kylo Ren he was dealing with here. Maybe he would. So Hux settled between the two, shifting to roll over onto his side and press closer to Kylo's back, one arm draped loosely over his hip. This sort of intimacy didn't come easy to him. But he managed to surprise himself every day. 

And while sleep came quickly to them both, it didn't stay that way for long. 

Hux felt like he awoke no sooner than he'd fallen asleep, but one glance over at the glowing numbers beside him said it wasn't the case. He'd been out for a few hours. It seemed odd that he was awake at all, given how dead tired he'd been, except...no, there was definitely a good reason for it. He'd fallen asleep with Kylo tucked up under his arm, the heat of him warm against his chest. But now, Kylo was curled in on himself, huddled closer to the edge of the bed with far more space between them. 

Hux pushed himself upright a little, blinking his eyes against the darkness as they slowly adjusted. But there was something there he could  _feel_ before he could see it, like an unsettling kind of sensation. The feeling that something was wrong, even if you couldn't prove it. 

Except he could definitely prove it, because Kylo was very clearly not all right. Hux held his breath and waited, watching the Knight's body as it was wracked with tremors and twitches, his chest heaving as if he couldn't breathe properly. Every once in a while, he'd go completely still, but it was always followed by a ragged gasp, as if he'd been paralyzed. But the whole while, he was still asleep. Still dead to the world. 

Hux shifted a little at last, lifting one hand to reach out for him. Surely he should try and wake him? Make sure he hasn't fallen ill, or isn't suffering some other ailment. But he didn't quite get that far, stopping himself short when he realized Ren wasn't just panting and gasping--he was  _talking_ , murmuring in his sleep. At first it sounded like nonsense, half-words and unfinished sentences. But then... 

" _No...._ no, I can't, I  _can't.."_

Kylo curled in on himself even further, face half buried in the crook of his arm as he clutched weakly at his pillow shaking his head a little to reinforce the  _no no no_. It was so devastatingly childlike, Hux didn't know what to do. He felt a little as if this was something he shouldn't even be seeing in the first place, as if maybe the best course of action was to simply ignore it and pretend he'd never seen it at all for Kylo's sake. But then...

"I won't--you can't, you--...don't,  _please.."_

If there was a single word he'd never heard Kylo Ren utter in the entire time he'd known the man, it would have to be  _please._ Not even sarcastically, not that he could recall. And certainly not spoken the way it was now, wrenched from him as a whimper, hardly a word at all so much as a sound of pain and confusion. Whatever he was going through there inside his own head, it wasn't pretty. And Hux wasn't sure he could let it go on, not as long as he was there to do something about it.

The only problem was...he wasn't sure exactly what that 'something' might be. He didn't know the appropriate course of action. Would it only jolt Kylo further into a state of panic and disassociation, if he just shoved him awake? No, it seemed too risky. The goal was to put an end to his nightmare, not to completely ruin his chances of a decent's night's sleep. 

So Hux only inched a little closer, sitting beside the Knight as he reached down to run his fingers through his hair and brush it back away from his face. Admittedly, the action felt a bit...foreign. The sort of comfort they gave each other wasn't so traditional. There weren't always so many affectionate caresses or chaste kisses shared between them. But it felt like the thing to do now, as he leaned down over his fair-weather lover to whisper in his ear.

"Kylo...you're all right," he murmured, voice a little shaky. "Can you hear me?" 

Hux didn't get a response right away, nor did he really expect one. But he waited, shifting to press in just a little closer to Kylo's back and letting his hand skim feather-light over his bare shoulder. He felt a little cool to the touch, clammy in the sort of way you'd likely expect from someone suffering a night terror. Hux wanted to clasp his hand around him to warm him up, but he didn't. Not yet. 

In the meantime, Kylo had fallen mostly silent, not murmuring or muttering, but still breathing ragged and low, his body still trembling. Very clearly still asleep, but...maybe Hux was actually getting through to him. And as he waited, he couldn't help but let his hand slip around and up under Kylo's shirt, skimming slowly over his stomach and chest until he could press his palm every so gently to the space above his heart. He swore he could feel it pounding there beneath his touch, his pulse racing in the sort of way that meant Kylo's body wasn't exactly aware that he wasn't in any  _real_ danger. It probably felt real, and that was good enough. 

"Hu--.. _Hux_?" 

The words were barely audible, breathed out on a shaky, uncertain sigh. Hux tensed a little, unsure if it meant Kylo had heard him and had woken up. But Kylo didn't move. It felt as though some of the tension in his body might finally be leaving, but he didn't move to roll over or look back behind him. No, he was still unconscious. Still dreaming. Only now...

"It's me...It's me, I'm right here," Hux murmured after a beat of silence, swallowing hard as if he needed to drum up the courage to do so. The words felt a little thick in his throat but they tumbled out anyway. And as they did, he leaned in to press his lips to Kylo's neck, just behind his ear. 

And that... _oh,_ that earned an entirely different sort of noise from the fitful Knight, who shivered in Hux's gentle grip and let out a soft, breathy whine. 

" _Hux,_ " he murmured again, no longer sounding so unsure if it were truly him. No, this time it sounded almost as if he was...pleading. Maybe even a little relieved. And it didn't quite feel like Kylo was talking directly to him so much as to the  _him_ that was in his head. 

He wondered what he was doing. He wondered if he'd saved him from whatever nightmarish vision was plaguing him. 

"I need you to breathe for me, can you do that?" Hux added softly, pressing another kiss to the nape of Kylo's neck. And amazingly enough, he did. But it was still a haggard sort of breath, rushing out of the man's lungs like he'd been holding it for too long. Hux could hear his soft panting then, shallow little breaths that weren't quite what he wanted, but they weren't the same as the painful gasps he'd uttered in the throes of his nightmare either. 

No, they were different. The good sort of different. 

" _Ah...more, H--...Hux, please.."_

Kylo was moving a little now, the nervous tremors giving way to an almost restless squirming. Hux could feel the muscles in his stomach tense and release as he slid his hand further down, like an undulating wave as he rocked back against him but still  _still_ remained asleep. And by this point, it wasn't too difficult for Hux to guess what might have been going on in Kylo's unconscious mind. He only ever whimpered his name like that when they were in bed together. They were the sorts of noises that Hux liked to think only he ever got to hear. 

But Hux was torn. Part of him wanted to let Kylo go on sleeping, let him finish his new dream in peace and perhaps enjoy being the sole audience of it. But the other part wanted nothing more than to wake him, to make his dream a reality and remind Kylo that not even his own imagination could compare to the real thing. 

He didn't decide right away, though. Instead, he just let his touch wander a little more, slipping his hand into Kylo's shorts so he could skim curious fingertips over the Knight's hardening cock. It was a dangerous move if he didn't want to wake him, but it was worth it when he was rewarded with another trembling moan, the sound spilling from Kylo's parted lips as he bucked into the touch. The movement had Kylo's hips pushing up against his hand and then back again, rolling against Hux's own trapped cock, and  _oh_ there was the temptation to wake him, to have a body warm and willing beneath him. 

But in the end, the decision had been made for him. 

"...Hux?" 

Kylo was definitely awake now. Even though his voice was sleep-rough, it still held a clarity to it that hadn't been there earlier. And before Hux could manage a proper response, Kylo was finally twisting a little to look back at him, glancing over his shoulder to try and meet his gaze in the dark. He was still breathing a little heavy, still looking a little out of it. But just as soon as Hux managed to murmur, "I'm right here," Kylo's lips were pressed to his own, clumsy and desperate. The angle was less than ideal, forcing them both to crane their necks a little, but it worked and that was all that mattered. 

Kylo lifted his arm to curl back around him and reach for Hux, threading his fingers in the General's hair so he could tug him in closer, though they didn't last like that for long. Just as soon as Hux shifted to try and fit in better against Kylo's body, Ren finally moved a bit more drastically, turning over to face him beneath the covers. Kylo immediately closed the distance between them again, wrapping his arms around Hux's neck and shoulders to pull him into another kiss. 

Everything about the way Kylo moved and kissed still seemed a bit sluggish, a bit dazed, as if he wasn't yet completely conscious. But even then, Hux could taste the desperate neediness on his tongue, as honey-sweet as the whimpers and moans that had spilled from him when he was asleep, lost in his own head. 

Hux didn't think twice about tugging Kylo's thigh up and over his hip, slotting their bodies together like a filthy-perfect puzzle. And Kylo seemed more than willing to oblige, curling his leg around him as he broke their kiss to finally let them catch their breath.

And Hux certainly didn't mind the brief pause, not when it gave him time to sneak his hand back in between their bodies, shoving at the waistband of his own shorts, pushing the fabric down just enough to free his aching cock. He gave Kylo the same courtesy, palming at him through the material for just a second before he was dragging his shorts down so he could get his hand on him properly. 

Kylo had his head tipped down a little, buried in against the crook of Hux’s neck, and for a second he thought he might have been watching what he was doing. But the Knight’s eyes were tightly closed again, mouth dropping open just enough to accommodate each ragged breath. He couldn’t help but wonder what was crossing his mind—or if anything was crossing his mind at all. With any luck, all Kylo would be able to think about is the heat between their bodies, the warmth of Hux’s skin against his own as he curled his hand around them both and pushed his hips forward to close the last little gap between them.

Whether or not he’d managed to push Kylo all the way to that point just yet he couldn’t be sure. But the gasp that he earned for his efforts was a step in the right direction, all desperate exhaustion and nearly-nonexistent inhibitions as Kylo clung to him like he just _die_ if he let there be so much as a single inch of space between them.

Hux was all too eager to devour the next moan that bubbled up from Kylo’s chest, tipping his chin down to capture his lips. But their kiss was hardly a kiss at all, the both of them open-mouthed and panting as Hux worked them over. He twisted his wrist just so, gathering the sticky pearls of precum that leaked from their cocks to slick his palm. His grip was just barely on the right side of too much friction, but it was slick where it counted—the head of his cock flushed and silky where it dragged over the sensitive underside of Kylo’s.

Soon enough though, his grip did little more than hold them in place as he rolled his hips forward against Kylo’s in a way that managed to feel both fluid and clumsy, a filthy-slick grind both intimate and gentle. There wasn’t much thinking going on. Only _doing_. Only chasing after his own pleasure but never forgetting his partner’s, like it was an ingrained habit to give as much as he took.

And some part of him longed to speak, to tip Kylo over with a few choice words the way he usually did. But something about the act of what they were doing demanded silence, broken only by the sounds they couldn’t help. Hux was powerless to resist, instead just doubling his efforts when he felt Kylo clutch at him a bit more tightly, his hips rocking forward to meet his lazy thrusts.

Hux twisted his grip again, let the pad of his thumb tease over the crown of Ren’s cock and that was all it took. He swore he could hear the wet _click_ of Kylo’s throat as he cried out, choking on a moan that he didn’t quite seem prepared for. And those…those were the sounds Hux _lived_ for; the noises he earned like spoils of war, glittering gifts that were too precious for anyone but him.

He could feel Kylo’s chest heave against his own as he struggled to catch his breath, gasping into the crook of his neck as he spilled his release into the General’s hand. It only served to ease the slide of his palm as he worked them over, gripping just a little tighter, stroking a little faster, lost in the feel of Kylo’s cock against his own, skin silken-slick and hot enough to burn. And wrenching one last over-sensitive little whimper from Kylo, he finally caved.

Hux was typically much quieter in bed, and his climax was no exception. He was sure it came as a surprise to no one. Even now, as the sudden wave of pleasure threatened to overwhelm him, he could only manage a weak groan, the sound escaping him through a clenched jaw, which was…a lot, for him. He was almost too out of it to even register the feel of Kylo’s mouth against his own, lips bitten and soft and breath mingling as his Knight gentled him through it.

Hux wasn’t entirely sure just how long he drifted before he finally came back to himself, and felt like maybe he could string together a whole sentence if need be. In reality, it was probably a few seconds. Maybe a minute. But it felt like it stretched on forever, and judging by the look on Kylo’s face when he finally blinked his eyes open, he wasn’t the only one feeling that way. By now, though, he almost looked more awake than he had all night. But that wasn’t saying much. His dark eyes were heavy-lidded, and Hux swore there was the ghost of a grin there, curling lazily into the corners of his lips.

“I think your bed survived, but at the sacrifice of our clothes,” Kylo murmured at last, his tone soft but his voice rough. It took Hux a second to realize what he was saying, and when it finally sank in, he couldn’t help the sheepish laugh that escaped him.

“It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make,” he answered just as quietly, “Come on then, we should probably get it off before we fall asleep and regret our laziness in the morning.”

It was a close thing though, because even proper, clean, organized Hux debated just ignoring the mess between them in favor of sleep. His body felt heavy and warm, and it protested the movement as he pushed himself upright. But he ignored it the same as ever, and tried to be quick about it as he rid himself of his ruined shorts and undershirt. He helped Kylo do the same, relishing the sharp little intake of breath he could hear as he let his palm trail over the man’s stomach.

He knew the mess wasn’t going to bode well for their discarded clothing, tossed unceremoniously over the side of the bed. But he didn’t particularly care. All he wanted to do was crawl back under the covers, and when Kylo reached out for him to drag him back in like a sleepy, grumpy child who could only be soothed by his favorite toy, well… his choice was made.

They ended up in the exact opposite position they’d started in, with Hux’s back to Kylo’s chest, and he couldn’t say he minded. Or maybe he was just too tired to care about the arrangement, because no sooner than they’d settled back down did he feel like he might just fall asleep right then and there.

But then came Kylo’s whisper, pressed into the back of his shoulder:

“You saved me, you know.”

It sounded so much like a confession, like something that Kylo only had the courage to say because Hux couldn’t see his face.

“You were there. I don’t know why you were there…But you made it all go away.”

_No one’s ever been able to do that before._

Hux was quiet for a beat. And then reached down to take Kylo’s hand, curling the Knight’s arm around his body so he could lace their fingers together and press his palm to the center of his chest. Just above his heart.

“You were listening,” he answered gently, both a statement and a question, spoken almost in disbelief. And it was as simple as that, wasn’t it? Kylo heard him when nothing else could get through.

He didn’t get a reply to that; didn’t need one. He just felt Kylo’s touch curl into his chest a little more tightly.

Sleep came quickly to them both.

**Author's Note:**

> I...am...emotional garbage. OwO
> 
> I always say I'm not going to write any more in this verse, and then I do it anyway, so I'll spare you. Maybe there will be more! Who knows? 
> 
> Leave me a comment, let me know what you think! c: And as always, come find me on tumblr and yell at me and I'll love you forever. --> theearlgreyalpha.tumblr.com


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